I find that in the course of my frequently frenzied and over-scheduled life, all too often at the end of the day I realize that, not only have I not made a photograph that I like, I haven’t made a photograph at all…

Maybe my day was spent on video shooting or production, or some other aspect of my job, or any number of other things that, in the rush to get from Point A to Point B, I never did take a moment to stop, look, slow down, and make an image.

It also makes me think about what an important, gratifying and soul-nourishing activity photography is for me since, in order to make that photograph, it really does become a moment of meditation.

It also makes me think about what an important, gratifying and soul-nourishing activity photography is for me…

In order to make that image, I first must stop and appreciate the light: for me, it always starts with the light.

Breakwater#1. The strong vertical line of the breakwater appealed to me in the early morning fog. (Copyright 2010 / Andrew Boyd)

It’s really a lot like tai chi: there’s a physical level to the process as I work through the logistics of image-making, but ultimately those mechanical aspects are transcended as the image comes together, first in my mind, and then ultimately on the CCD sensor of the camera.

So the question on my mind for all of you out there today is:

Did you stop and smell the photographs today?

Hi, I’m Andrew Boyd, a.k.a. The Discerning Photographer, and I hope this post has been interesting and informative. Please leave me a comment about it, let me know what you’d like to see more of on the site! You can also sign up for email delivery of all future articles or my RSS feed. Thanks!–DiscerningPhotog

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